• Time Required
• 10–12 hours, including reading time

This Week 1 Module outlines the work of the course for this first week. In summer classes, each week covers about the same amount of content as three weeks during a typical all or Spring Semester. This week I have two large projects for you to work:

• A 3–5 minute video presentation with audio to introduce yourself to the class.
• A draft of your proposal memo, which will indicate the topic you will work on for your recommendation report.

Everything you need to complete is listed below and linked in the Module. If you have questions, you can include them in your Check-In Conference message or email me if you need a faster answer.

 

Activities to Complete

📚 To Read This Week

1. Chapter 1 of Markel & Selber, Understanding the Technical Communication Environment
   • Characteristics of a Technical Document & Measures of Excellence in Technical Documents (this is a 2-page summary of key information in Chapter 1)
2. Chapter 3 of Markel & Selber, “Writing Technical Documents”
3. Chapter 14 of Markel & Selber, “Corresponding in Print and Online,” pp. 368–388

 

📝 To Write This Week

• Presentation Assignment (Suggested due date: Friday, May 27)
  • Presentation Full Draft Submission
  • Food Story Ideas
  • Presentation Criteria
  • Presentation Self-Check
• Proposal Memo Assignment (Suggested due date: Tuesday, May 31)
  • Proposal Memo Full Draft Submission
  • Recommendation Report Topic
  • Strong Subject Lines
  • Proposal Memo Criteria
  • Proposal Memo Self-Check

 

💬 To Discuss This Week

• After you post your Presentation, watch the videos posted by everyone else in the class. You can add replies as you like.

 

✅ To Check In This Week

• Check-In Conferences for Week 1 (Suggested due date: Thursday, May 26. End of Grace Period: Tuesday, May 31.)
  • Originally these conferences were going to be set up in two groups with some on Wednesday and some on Thursday. That proved to be complicated to do in Canvas, so they will all be due on Thursdays.

 

Photo Credit: Typer by Caleb Roenigk on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.